As time passes, the inevitable process ofaging can cause feeling of weakness, loss of stamina, poor balance and motor difficulties.
It is not possible to alter the natural flow of time, but it is still possible Limit the damage caused by sarcopenia by taking the right nutritional supplements, combined with a healthy lifestyle.
What is Sarcopenia?
There progressive loss of muscle mass and tone, capable of drastically reducing the patient's motor skills, affecting even the simplest daily activities, is called Sarcopenia.
The lack of muscle, resulting in muscle atrophy (reduction in volume of the muscle itself) and impairment of the muscle tissue, can lead to a situation of severe deterioration, pathologically incurable, but - if managed correctly - containable.
Cause Sarcopenia
The causes of Sarcopenia can be various; first of all, obviously, we find the natural aging process, which affects every human being, but some subjects are more prone than others to this pathology.
The subjects who conduct a sedentary lifestyle and that they have an inadequate diet for muscle health (characterized by a low protein intake), are more affected by the consequences of Sarcopenia.
There are several theories regarding the causes of this degenerative disease:
- satellite cell deterioration: the malfunction of mononuclear cells, which restore the normal function of muscle fibers in post-traumatic situations;
- the progressive growth hormone and testosterone deficiency;
- protein oxidation: due to aging and - in turn - caused by an excess of lipofuscin and reticular proteins.
Generally, we tend to distinguish the pathology between Primary Sarcopenia (caused by age) and Sarcopenia Secondary (related to excessive sedentary lifestyle, illnesses or malnutrition).
Sarcopenia in the elderly: Senile sarcopenia
If Sarcopenia is essentially caused by an irreversible aging process, it is clear that the subjects mainly affected by this pathology are the elderly people.
Sarcopenia generally begins to manifest itself between the ages of 40 and 50 and generally shows more evident symptoms within ten years, from the age of 60 onwards.
The slow progression of Sarcopenia becomes more pressing as time passes, coinciding with the patient's aging: On average, every 10 years, sarcopenia can lead to the loss of 3-8% of muscle mass.
Sarcopenia Symptoms
Among the main symptoms of Sarcopenia we find:
- muscle atrophy;
- loss of resistance;
- tiredness chronic;
- reduction in muscle strength;
- poor balance (even when simply walking) which can lead to dangerous falls;
- increased energy expenditure at rest;
- osteoporosi.
Despite the inevitable degenerative process of Sarcopenia, there are natural supplements and/or vitamins able to help the protein metabolism and thus reduce the pathological symptoms.
Sarcopenia Treatments and Supplements: How to Increase Muscle Tone and Fight Muscle Atrophy?
A reduced protein intake in the diet, excessive consumption of foods that cause acidity (such as fried foods) or one low fruit and vegetable intake can influence the severity and speed of the onset of Sarcopenia in the patient.
A correct and balanced diet, combined with an active lifestyle and the intake of the right supplements, like Amino Collagen (the food supplement based on Essential Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and D for the maintenance of normal muscle function), can help counteract the symptoms of sarcopenia.
Increasing muscle mass in older adults It's not easy, but the right amount of proteins and amino acids helps strengthen tissues and counteract widespread weakness.
The assumption of amino acid-based food supplements It is recommended in case of:
- specific muscle-cartilaginous nutrition;
- post-operative rehabilitation therapies;
- malabsorption syndrome (sarcopenia).
The collagen -furthermore- it is the primary structural element of bones, cartilages, and tendons.
Vitamin B6 reduces the feeling of tiredness and fatigue;
Soccer ascorbate has an antioxidant function, promotes the absorption of iron and increases the immune defenses, while the Vitamin D contributes to maintaining the right content of calcium in the bones.
The concentration of all these active ingredients in a single product makes itAmino Collagen natural supplement, a valuable ally in counteracting the progression of sarcopenia in the elderly.
Sarcopenia and Diabetes
The correlation between diabetes and sarcopenia It is evidently due to a further problem, linked to further dietary and nutritional limitations, which can be the cause of lower muscle quality.
A further risk, in the presence of senile diabetes, is given by the fact that the changes in skeletal muscles, due to the aging process and therefore to Sarcopenia, contribute to the development of insulin resistance.
Skeletal muscle is in fact insulin-sensitive and, in sarcopenic elderly people, the reduction in muscle mass can lead to a reduced capacity for glucose disposal.
The progressive deterioration of the muscle can therefore determine a reduced oxidative capacity, with a further increase in the production of free radicals in the elderly.
According to a recent research by Journal of the Endocrine Society, patients suffering from sarcopenia, which is a reduction in muscle mass related to aging, are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.